Running with the Devils: Inside the day after the labor deal

Running with the Devils: Inside the first day of one club’s sprint to the season after NHL labor deal

The sign on the conference room wall in the offices at the Prudential Center reads, “Sell Like A Devil.” It’s a fitting theme for a meeting of New Jersey Devils ticket sales executives on the Monday morning after the NHL lockout has ended. They had met dozens of times during the lockout, in anticipation of a season they never knew for sure would happen. But labor peace for the league and the NHL Players’ Association came at 5 a.m. the day before, leading to this happy but manic Monday. (It also might explain the executives’ drinks, which included Mountain Dew, Pepsi and Dunkin’ Donuts coffee). Beginning at 10:30 a.m. on this Monday, Jan. 7, and for the next two hours, Devils Arena Entertainment President Rich Krezwick and eight staffers responsible for season tickets, group sales, ticket operations and database marketing attempted to hit the ground running.

I thought this part was particularly interesting, especially considering the total lack of communication from the team about tickets so far:

During the lockout, the Devils created an internal document called “Back to Hockey 10 Day Plan” to be ready during the expected 10 days between the end of the labor stalemate and the start of the season. The document, conceived by Vanderbeek, was written by Krezwick and his staff starting on Sept. 18 and then revised every day over the next four months. While staff had been studying this playbook throughout its revisions, the finished product was distributed to all department heads the morning Bettman and Fehr announced the agreement in principle.

The plan is intended to serve as a textbook for the organization at this point, with subjects labeled “Communications Objectives” and “Season Ticketholder Action Steps,” among many others. There is a page for each day counting down from “10 Days to Hockey” to “Game Day,” with that last page also carrying in its header the words “Let’s Play Hockey.”

So on what day in this 10-day plan will the Devils announce single game ticket information, or notify season ticket holders when their tickets will be mailed or at least made available online to be printed? I haven't heard a thing about my season tickets yet...

This is the only thing the Rangers actually beat us at, my friend who has Rangers season tickets has already recieved his tickets for the first 10 games of the season and they are going to have all the tickets on their online account manager tomorrow at 10am.

Meanwhile, we can't even get an email sent out to us saying what's going on and I just tried to call to ask about stuff and nobody even answered the phones.

This is the only thing the Rangers actually beat us at, my friend who has Rangers season tickets has already recieved his tickets for the first 10 games of the season and they are going to have all the tickets on their online account manager tomorrow at 10am.

Meanwhile, we can't even get an email sent out to us saying what's going on and I just tried to call to ask about stuff and nobody even answered the phones.

Eh, I'd rather they take a little longer to print out the tickets and not have just Home Game 1 through Home Game 10 printed on them. Because then you have to actively figure out what Home Game 5 and Home Game 7 are and remember when they are. Yes, I know they do that for the playoffs anyway but it's only four games in a series max, against the same team.

Maybe the plan for the first 9 of the 10 days is to sit around getting interviewed by a paper about having a 10-plan.

Haha you know I still hear it from some members here when I use it as an example when I criticize how the Devils are lacking when it comes to fan experience?

I do not see why anyone would criticize. We "wasted" a selection on a particular perk, and it was NEVER MADE AVAILABLE. How is that not a legitimate gripe?!?! I could have picked other things that I actually would have received, but I picked the ones I wanted MOST. Failure to deliver on such a perk is definitely not contributing to any sort of "fan experience".

I do not see why anyone would criticize. We "wasted" a selection on a particular perk, and it was NEVER MADE AVAILABLE. How is that not a legitimate gripe?!?! I could have picked other things that I actually would have received, but I picked the ones I wanted MOST. Failure to deliver on such a perk is definitely not contributing to any sort of "fan experience".

I totally agree and quite honestly I am not sure why more Devils fans who picked it as a perk are not pissed about it,